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'The probability of a dramatic turnaround is arguably more remote than that legendary 5,000-1 title, which strangely puts the odds in our favor.' Christian Fuchs is talking about his new life as manager of Newport County, and the monumental task of averting a drop into non-league football. This represents a challenge at the polar opposite of the scale, though that unbelievable title win in 2016 gave him much more than a champion's gong. {'It contributed to shifting my mindset a little bit ... it showed that the impossible can be possible,' he states.

The Unlikely Path to Rodney Parade

The obvious place to start is: how did Fuchs find himself here? 'I imagine that's the part that's unpredictable, right?' he says, erupting in a chuckle. It is the 39-year-old's opening gambit and a clear demonstration of his engaging character across a wide-ranging conversation. Discourse flows in various tangents, from playing for Thomas Tuchel and Brendan Rodgers to the pressing need to find a local barber.

He sorts through some post on his desk. Among it is a note from a Leicester supporter wishing him well, paired with a couple of glossy photos from that campaign. {'Young Fuchs,' he says, with a smile. Another delivery brings a hoard of old collector's items, one from an album commemorating Euro 2016, when he captained Austria. A greeting from the Newport Supporters’ Club has pride of place. Items like this really makes me very content,' he concludes.

A Past Trip and a Misspelt Name

Until coming back from North Carolina to assume his first job in senior management last month, Fuchs’s previous visit to Rodney Parade was in January 2019, when Leicester were on the end of a Newport giantkilling in the FA Cup third round. On that occasion a former full-back competed with Fuchs. {'He had the match of his career,' Fuchs says. But when the lineup cards were released, an amusing error was discovered. {'You need to edit this,' Fuchs jokes. 'They misspelled my name – somehow a 'k' smuggled itself in in place of the 'h'. It is amusing because Fuchs, in German, means fox, so it’s something fitting.'

Lessons from The Tinkerman, Rodgers and Tuchel

His move to join the Foxes in the summer of 2015 proved a masterstroke. A couple of weeks later Leicester brought in Claudio Ranieri and the rest is history. The Italian joined the club in the middle of a pre-season camp in Austria and his hands-off approach worked wonders. {'When you look at Claudio you imagine an older man, so a veteran of the sport, maybe a bit old school, but he’s so not,' Fuchs says. {'He just said he was going to monitor training in Austria for the first week. He stayed out of it at all. After that week we had a meeting and he said: 'I’ve observed you for a week and I’m not going to modify anything.''

Fuchs cherishes lessons learned from Rodgers and Tuchel, under whom he worked while on loan at Mainz. {'He always considered: ‘How can I get additional out of the players? How can I test them mentally?’’ Fuchs says of Tuchel. {'That’s a significant part of our philosophy as well. How can you make good players who choose wisely? Back then he was probably in a similar situation to where I am now … very focused, very eager to prove himself.'

Roots and a Resolute Nature

Fuchs’s motivation originates in his upbringing in Neunkirchen. {'There are similarities to where we are now, because I was told when I was 11 years old that I would never be good enough,' he discloses. {'There are people who let that defeat them or there are people who say: ‘Forget you, I’m going to show you.’ I’ve been told too many times: ‘You can not do this, you can't do that.’ I’m going to prove that I can and work my socks off. The other thing about my make-up is: I’m very stubborn. If I see potential, I’m doing it.'

Detailed Approach and the Struggle for Survival

Fuchs’s assistant, Mark Smith, was born in Newport and formerly ran Fuchs’s Fox Soccer Academy. Fuchs boots up his laptop to show statistics from a recent 2-2 draw, sharing a slide he used with his players. {'The team hit many, many season bests,' he points out, noting ball progression and statistics about breaking defensive lines. Passing accuracy was recorded at 87%. {'Not pleased with that … that needs to be in the mid-90s,' he declares. {'My first game, it was very physical, fourth-tier football, but we want to be different. I think a five-yard pass has a higher probability to find its target than just launching it all the time.'

The broader numbers present bleak reading. Newport have won three of 19 league matches and are winless in eight in all competitions. By the time of their next home game, they will have not tasted victory at home for 273 days and have kept just two clean sheets in 26 matches this season. But a recent 93rd-minute equaliser with 10 men secured a valuable point. {'We need to be a force at home,' Fuchs emphasizes. {'It’s just not acceptable, not even having a win. We need to build a fortress.'

Still a Player at Heart

By his own acknowledgement, Fuchs likes a challenge. {'What’s so bad with that?' He retired less than three years ago and, like Tuchel, likes being in the middle of the action. {'I’m a component of the group. I’m still a player inside,' he remarks, indicating his chest. {'At training I’m always participating in the drills – two megs already, brilliant! I want us to view each other as a unified group. Yes, you’re the ones on the field, but we’re a collective, we’re striving towards this together.'